Attachment for steering devices for vehicles.



W. H. HOUSMAN.

ATTACHMENT FOR STEERING DEVICES FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NPLY 8. P915.

a I n 9 1 0 G 6 D d 0M t n G t a P WITNESSES v A ITOR/VEVS WNTTMM NTNTMNPATENT MFFTWN.

ATTACHMENT FOR STEERING DEVICES FOR VEHICLES.

1,2(WAMM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 19116.

Application filed July 8,1915. Serial No. 38,742.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. Hous- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chatham, in the county of Columbia and Stateof New York, have invented a new and Improved Attachment for- SteeringDevices for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to carriages and wagons and has particularreference to improvements in or attachmentsto steering-devices.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a resilient attachmentfor steering gears applicable especially to automobiles and serving tohold or tend to hold the steering gears in mid or neutral position withthe further or additional advaiitage of rendering the hand operation ofthe vehicles easier and more agreeable to the driver.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed herein, still for the purpose of illustratinga practical embodi ment thereof reference is had to the accompanyin'gdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts inthe several views, and in Which-- Figure 1 is a plan view of the frontaxle of a standard type of automobile showing the steering knuckles andparts associated therewith; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section onthe line 22 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the devices attached tothe centerof the tie rod; Fig. t is a side elevation of'one end of thespring showing the form of the first coil; Fig. 5 i's'an end view of thesame; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of adjustable endsocket piece; and Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the same on the line7-7 of Fig. 6. t

Referring more particularly to the drawings ll show at 10 a front axletowhich are connected a pair of torsion rodsll, the same extendingrearwardly but converging toward each other as heretofore. These torsionrods represent suitable rigid anchorage devices for the improvedattachment.

At 12 are represented the steering knuckles and 13 indicates the tie rodconnecting the arms of said knuckles in the usual The main element ofthe improvement comprises a coil spring 14 having its ends anchored tothe torsion rods 11 near their points of connection with the axle.Obviously the anchorage points might be arranged otherwise, but thetorsion rods as illustrated constitute convenient and satisfactoryanchorage points representing substantially fixed anchorages butpermitting adjustment of the spring to vary the force or'tension thereofeither for the purpose of varying the force of the spring as a whole orfor shifting its effective connection to one side or the other.

A preferred form of anchor is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 as comprisingan anchor plate 15, the same being substantially flat in the mainportion and having a tongue 16 ex ,tending from one end and providedwith a chor plate to the torsion rod 11. At the edges of the plate areformed ar'allel flanges '20 having concave seats 20 iich fit around theside of the torsion rod opposite the crotch of the U-bolt.

From the description of the anchor member it will be appreciated thatthe connectioi between the tonguev 16 and two adjacent coils constitutesa strong and positive connection or anchorage for the end of the spring,but providing for easy and delicate adjustment of the efl'ective lengthof the spring by a single twisting or turning action of the coil in onedirection or the other around the axis of the coil to lengthen orshorten the coil, This rotation or twisting of the coil may be effectedeasily by hand, but will not take place automatically. The anchoragemeans for one end of the spring will be understood as being applicableto both ends.

The middle portion of the single spring 14: is anchored by a similaranchor plate 15 to the center of the tie rod 19. The proper degree oftension for the spring may be determined or established in variousways-but in connection with a standard or known type of machine, theanchor plates 15 for the ends of the spring will be turned thereon topoints at a certain number of coils from the extreme ends, and the endplates will then be anchored to the torsion rods near the axle, it beingunderstood that the center plate 15 will be turned to its place prior tothe connection of both end plates. When the ends of the spring areconnected, the operator can easily determine by applying force or strainto the middle portion of the spring, whether the proper tension oradjustment of the ends is provided for. The middle anchor plate is thensecured to the tie rod 13. Should one end of the coil become strained orfor any reason such end is 10 be tightened, the means for connecting thespring to the steering mechanism 'provides for easy adjustment as may berequired from time to time.

To avoid accidental separation of the anchor plates from the spring whennot in use, the end coil 14 is preferably deflected inwardly toward thecenter and also slightly toward the next coil as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.The anchor members, however, may be forced thereover nevertheless inconnecting the parts.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown a modified form of anchor plate 21, the samecomprising -a hollow cylindrical socket 22 adapted to receive the spring14 longitudinally therein or therethrough, one end of the socket beingprovided with lugs 23 and 24 extending inwardly radially betweenadjacent coils and acting on the coils similarly, to the threads of anut on a bolt, whereby the delicate adjustment already described may beeflected with this form of the invention also. The anchor member 21 alsohas a tongue 25 havmg a hole 25 whereby it may be anchored to astationary member of a different type from that shown in 1.

I claim:

1. In steering apparatus, the combination with an axle, a pair oftorsion rods secured rigidly thereto in spaced relation to each other, apair of steering knuckles connected to the axle, and a rigid tie rodconnecting said knuckles parallel to the axle, of resilient connectionsbetween the tie rod and the torsion rods, said connections comprising asingle coil spring, an anchor plate having apertures for threading theplate to the spring at its middle portion the anchor plate beingadjustable longitudinally of the axis of the spring, said anchor platehaving parallel flanges at its side edges, the said flanges havingconcave seats for the tie rod, and gripping means to secure the anchorplate rigidly to the tie rod, and means to anchor the ends of the springto the torsion rods adjacent the axle.

2. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of an anchorplate having at one end a tongue provided with a pair of holes, a linejoining the holes being transverse to the longer axis of the plate, thesaid anchor plate having parallel flanges formed at its edges, theflanges having concave seats for engaging a fixed member, means to clampthe plate to said fixed member, and a single coil spring having twoadjacent coils threaded through said tongue holes of the anchor plate.

3. In a steering device, the combination with a pair of spaced fixedanchor members, and a tie rod movable laterally with respect to theanchor members, of resilient connections between the tie rod'and theanchor members, said connections comprising a single coil spring, meansfor anchoring the ends of the spring to the fixed anchor members, and ananchor plate having apertures for threading the plate to the spring andfor moving the plate on the spring to the middle portion of the latter,the said anchor plate having seats for the tie rod, and means forsecuring the anchor plate rigidly to the middle portion of the tie rod.

WILLIAM HENRY HOUSMAN. Vitnesses W. F. SALMON,

CHARLES E. HARDER.

